


Your Fear Is Marked On Your Skin

by Proskenion



Series: Lully's Song. [4]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Non-Sexual Slavery, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:00:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23442856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Proskenion/pseuds/Proskenion
Summary: Takes place a week or so after Lully arrived at her new home. She finds Philippe having a panic attack and she doesn't know how to deal with it. Or how Lully discovers a bit of Philippe's past.
Series: Lully's Song. [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1674253
Kudos: 1





	Your Fear Is Marked On Your Skin

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovelies! 
> 
> Here another bit of Lully's adventure, if you can call it so...   
> I hope you'll like it. I wanted to write about PTSD and introducing a bit the characters as well, I hope it works. 
> 
> I have another thing in mind including Philippe's PTSD, as well as two other unrelated parts for this story. Then I'll rely on your questions and suggestions to write more :) 
> 
> Enjoy! <3

Lully got out of the kitchen to sit outside in the yard. Her hands ached as they never did before, her body was sore by all the work. She sat on a stool and proceeded to darn a shirt. The clothes was of fair silk and belonged to Scaron. Sewing, that she could do it well. She had done it many times before, when she was still named Poquelin. 

She had just started humming while mending the shirt when she heard a ruckus coming from further into the yard, quickly followed by a scream and a sobbing voice repeating: 

"Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, please, no, oh no..." 

Lully got up, put the shirt on the still and ran in the direction of the voice. She found Philippe on the floor, on his knees and covered in dirt. In front of him, an upside down basket and dozens of eggs all shattered and lost. The boy was shaking, his hands fumbling the broken eggs in the dirt, mumbling unintelligible things. Lully knelt beside him and called his name gently, putting her hand on his shoulder. He jumped in fear. 

"Hey, it's alright, it's me," the girl said, putting her hand away. She saw the tears in his eyes. She frowned. She said: 

"It's alright, it's just some eggs, no big deal." 

Her eyes widened when Philippe started to cry for good. For a while she stayed stunned, but in the end she shook her head and stood up. She offered him her hand, saying: 

"Come on, let's get inside." 

Philippe's head jerked up, looking at Lully with fear. He mumbled: 

"You're going to take me to him? Please, don't, don't take me to him, please..." Lully watched at the terrified expression of the boy, his face full of tears and dirt. She felt her heart ache when she realised he meant Scaron. What would the man do to make the boy so scared? 

"No," she said softly, "I'm not taking you to him. I'm taking you to the kitchen so you can have a glass of fresh water." He looked at her with slight mistrust, unmoving. "Trust me," she said. "I swear I'm not taking you to him. I swear." 

He hesitated a little before taking her hand. She smiled and passed her harm around her shoulders to lead him to the kitchen. When she saw them come in, Ninon dropped her knife and ran to them. She made Philippe sit and Lully brought him a glass of water, but the boy was shaking to much to hold it. 

"What happened?" asked Ninon. 

Lully told her everything. Ninon sighed. 

"I'll take care of him," Ninon said. "Go clear the mess outside, please." 

Despite all her burning questions, Lully complied. When she came back the kitchen was deserted so she took the shirt and kept on her mending by the hearth. A moment later Ninon was back. 

"He's sleeping," she said. 

"Fine." 

Lully waited for more explanation but Ninom resumed working without a word. So Lully asked: 

"Why did panicked that much? He begged me not to bring him to Bonifay, what would the man have done to him?" 

"Don't call the master by his name, it's disrespectful," Ninon said sharply. The two slaves exchanged an angry look. "He wouldn't have done anything," Ninon said. "Not much more than telling him off, at least." 

"So why was Philippe so scared?" 

Ninon sighed deeply. She stopped what she was doing and looked Lully straight in the eyes. 

"Before coming here, Philippe belonged to someone else. Some noble at Court. The man is a brute, his slaves live in terror. No doubt he'd have had the poor boy whipped to the bones for such a trifle." Lully swallowed hard. She was horrified - never had she thought such things happened for real. 

"But surely Boni - the master wouldn't?..." she mumbled, unable to finish her sentence. 

"Of course not," Ninon replied, as if it was the silliest thing she had heard in a while. "The master bought Philippe to protect him. The other wanted to kill him, or something like that, so master offered to buy him." 

Lully did not answer. She was thinking about it all, quite shocked. Eventually, she ventured: 

"But Philippe is safe now, he doesn't need to be afraid anymore."   
Ninon gave her a look that meant _poor child, you really know nothing._

"Of course he's safe," she said. "But the poor boy is traumatised. He's been so used to being abused, he has a hard time accepting he won't be abused again for every mistakes he makes. He's not been here for long, you know, only a couple of months. But he will learn not to fear punishment and pain all the time, slowly. He needs time, is all." 

After that Ninon went back to work, moving and acting in a way that meant she would not talk about it or anything else any longer. So Lully finished her sewing in silence, her mind full and her heart heavy.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3


End file.
